Blue Trust Inc. Trims Holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its stake in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC) by 25.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,219 shares of the company’s stock after selling 752 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Hancock Whitney were worth $121,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HWC. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Hancock Whitney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Hancock Whitney during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. CWM LLC raised its position in Hancock Whitney by 170.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 1,677 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 30.7% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,941 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 691 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.22% of the company’s stock.

Hancock Whitney Price Performance

HWC opened at $56.82 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $57.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 1 year low of $41.56 and a 1 year high of $62.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.89 billion, a PE ratio of 10.76 and a beta of 1.27.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.12. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 22.40% and a return on equity of 11.56%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.26 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. This is an increase from Hancock Whitney’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. Hancock Whitney’s payout ratio is 34.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on HWC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Hancock Whitney from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $74.00 target price (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Hancock Whitney from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $72.00 price objective (up from $64.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.56.

About Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Corporation operates as the financial holding company for Hancock Whitney Bank that provides traditional and online banking services to commercial, small business, and retail customers. It offers various transaction and savings deposit products consisting of brokered deposits, time deposits, and money market accounts; treasury management services, secured and unsecured loan products including revolving credit facilities, and letters of credit and similar financial guarantees; and trust and investment management services to retirement plans, corporations, and individuals, and investment advisory and brokerage products.